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SRNS awards $45,000 in scholarships to local high school seniors

Graduating students and SRNS family scholarship award winners celebrate after receiving a $3,000 scholarship each to start their collegiate journeys.

Midland Valley High School graduating senior Ethan Pifer sits with his family awaiting his recognition for achievements. His achievments earned him a $3,000 scholarship on his way to Anderson University for environmental engineering.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions celebrated the achievements of 15 graduating high school seniors and presented them with awards last week.

The awards, with a total value of $45,000, were given to the students to help them toward their higher education. Each winner got a $3,000 scholarship and a Galaxy Note tablet.

SRNS has kept the scholarship program running for many years, but 2017 was the first for CEO Stuart MacVean.

“What’s remarkable about this, these kids are coming in with a 4.0 GPA from the start. You don’t even make the cut until you get to that level,” he said.

The competition receives 70-80 applications in a typical year and is open to graduating high school seniors who have a parent employed by SRNS. The application asks for information about extra-curricular activities such as sports, band or science clubs, in addition to community service activities.

“That’s where they really stand out,” said Carol Barry, senior vice president of workforce solutions and talent management. “It is a very competitive process and the community service element really sets the winners apart.”

Midland Valley High School senior Ethan Pifer was among the recipients at the ceremony at Newberry Hall in Aiken.

“It means a lot to know that SRNS cares about our future and is willing to help with that,” said Pifer, who will attend Anderson University in an environmental engineering program in coordination with Clemson. “It takes a lot of the stress off of going to college. They are investing in my future, and one day I might come back and go to work for them.”

MacVean said it is important to give back to the community.

“It isn’t just a job for us out at SRNS. It’s about how we get involved and how we give back to the community,” he said. “I had to work my way through school. My parents didn’t have the means to pay for my college education. Without scholarships, I may not have made it through and this will help them to focus on their studies.”